Permission for housing scheme refused by Dún Laoghaire council

Plans for 63 houses and apartments near Oatlands College in the Stillorgan area of south Dublin, which were opposed by Minister for Transport Shane Ross, have been refused by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.

Developers Greg Kavanagh and Pat Crean, through their company Balark Investments, had sought permission to build nine houses, 24 duplexes and 30 apartments near the college.

Mr Ross, who was among a number of local representatives and residents to object to the plans, had said he was opposed to the development on a number of counts, including the failure to protect trees. More than 150 trees were to be felled as part of the development.

In his letter to the council he said the development would place further unnecessary pressure on local schools and families, and that a number of medical centres in the area were no longer accepting new patients due to the high level of demand. He also pointed out that part of the site was designated to protect trees and woodlands.

Future occupants

Refusing permission, the council said the development would “adversely affect the sylvan character” of the site and the residential and visual amenity of future occupants.

It said it was an objective of the county development plan to preserve trees and woodlands and said the proposed layout “does not facilitate or satisfactorily address the retention of these trees and does not provide quality usable public open space areas”.

However, a spokesman for the developers said the council, in preplanning meetings, had “insisted” on an approach to the design which required the felling of the trees.

“The council’s drainage department asked us specifically to change our proposal in relation to drainage. We told them that their proposal would result in the raising of the level of the site at one end by three metres. We told them that this would also involve the loss of all 166 trees, but they insisted on this approach.”

He said the developers found a solution which would allow 16 of the trees to be retained and had committed to planting 103 new trees.

“Having asked us explicitly to adopt this approach, the council has now turned us down because we agreed to do it . . . ”

The company would be appealing the council's decision to An Bord Pleanála, the spokesman said.

The council’s parks department said the applicants had not attempted to design around the trees which it said “formed a significant feature” of the landscape.